“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

This question has a lot of answers depending on how you interpret it. Firstly, there’s how I spell the word ‘answer’. You can’t tell because of the miracle that is spell check, but it’s one of those words I’ve always struggled with. I could write it down three times, with three different spellings, and each time it would look correct to me. Oh dyslexia, why must you do this to me? It’s frustrating, but I don’t get so worked up about it anymore.

Then there’s the small things you wished you had/hadn’t done that lead to awkward moments. They’re not life threatening, but they are rather embarrassing. Take for example not having a wee before a long car journey. It wouldn’t have taken very long to do, but I’m usually in a hurry to get somewhere and then regret it when I’m stuck in traffic somewhere. It’s uncomfortable, but survivable (even if you do have to resort to a makeshift bush bathroom).

But then there’s big mistakes.

These are the ones that actually impact on your life. At the time, you might not realise it, but then you look back on things and you can see where it all went wrong. For a long time, my biggest mistake was letting other people determine my worth. I didn’t do this consciously, but I let their opinions dictate how I felt about myself. In their eyes I was nothing, and so I believed that that was the truth. I took their thoughts about my appearance and my abilities to heart, because why else would they have kept telling me, right?

For a while, I thought that the mistake was letting them slip away, while now in hindsight, I should have walked away long before they made me feel so ashamed of myself.

Luckily, all mistakes can be learnt from, and we shouldn’t be afraid to make them. I’ve learnt that I should believe in myself and not take other peoples’ ideas so seriously. I know take the time to have one last trip to the loo before I get in the car. I still struggle with spelling, but hey, no one’s perfect!